Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 34:5/אבן עזרא על דברים ל״ד:ה׳
אוימת שם משה עבד ה'. שאפי' במותו עשה מה שצוהו כעבד:
1SO MOSES THE SERVANT OF THE LORD DIED THERE. Even in his death Moses, like a servant, did what God commanded him.
בעל פי ה'. כי הוא אמר לו עלה ומות וכן ' ' נכתב על אהרן על' פי ה' וכן על פי ה' יחנו:
2ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF THE LORD.6 (literally, by God’s mouth). Hence I.E.’s comment. For God told him, Get thee up (Deut. 32:49) and die (Deut. 32:50). Scripture similarly writes with regard to the death of Aaron, at the commandment of the Lord7. (Num. 33:38). It similarly states, At the commandment of the Lord8. We thus see that al pi Adonai is not to be taken literally but is to be interpreted according to God’s command. I.E. comments thus because there is a midrash which takes al pi Adonai literally and tells us that Moses died by God’s kiss. See Mo’ed Katan 28a; Bava Batra 17a. Also see Rashi. they encamped (Num. 9:23).